Alabama Arrives in Dallas for CFP Semifinal in the Cotton Bowl Classic

No. 1 Alabama rolled into the Dallas-Fort Worth area on Sunday in anticipation of its December 31 matchup with No. 4 Cincinnati in the 2021 College Football Playoff semifinal at Cotton Bowl Classic.

The Crimson Tide arrived at its team hotel shortly after 11 a.m. CT, returning to a familiar location in Dallas. Alabama resided in the same team hotel last December prior to winning its CFP semifinal appearance against Notre Dame at the relocated Rose Bowl.

"Oh, it's special to play here," Alabama coach Nick Saban said during his arrvial press conference. "It's a special stadium. It's a special city. It's a special place. There's a lot of special people here that do a great job of making this very accommodating for the players in a very positive way. I think, you know, playing in this atmosphere and environment here in the past has been, you know, a great experience for our players. So, we're excited to be here."

Alabama, the Southeastern Conference champion, finished the 2021 regular season with a record of 12-1, including 7-1 in league play. The Crimson Tide defeated the Georgia Bulldogs 41-24 in its last outing on December 4 at the SEC Football Championship Game in Atlanta.

This year's matchup marks the fifth meeting between Alabama and Cincinnati and the first since 1990 when the Crimson Tide defeated the Bearcats, 45-7, in Birmingham, Ala. The Tide is undefeated all-time against Cincinnati.

On Sunday afternoon, the Crimson Tide conducted its first practice in North Texas when it worked for approximately 90 minutes at Ford Center at The Star, the Dallas Cowboys' practice facility, located in Frisco, Texas.

Alabama will conduct upcoming practices this week at AT&T Stadium.

However, the Ford Center at The Star was the locale for Sunday's practice as AT&T Stadium was not available due to the Dallas Cowboys hosting the Washington Football Team in a Week 16 matchup in the National Football League schedule.

"I think we had good practices before Christmas, but I think that it's time for everybody to realize that, you know, we're here in Dallas," Saban said. "You know, now is the time. It's game week. We need to get ready to roll and get re-centered for what we want to try to accomplish and what we want to try to do. I think the legacy of any team is how you finish, and that's how you'll be remembered. So, it's a great opportunity that our players have, and now it's time to focus on taking advantage of it."